Koh Lipe

Introduction

If Santa Claus had travel sense he would climb down every beach, snorkeling and scuba lover’s chimney, and leave a couple of tickets to Lipe under the Christmas tree.

Is it coffee mate ?
Is it white pepper?
Or is it maybe talcum powder?

No, it’s the silky-soft sand of Lipe’s superb Pattaya beach. In the image on the right, the viewer will see that the back of the boy on the left is covered with what appears to be talcum powder. Maybe click on the image for a closer look, it may be the finest sand you've ever seen.

The pristine perfection to be found on the beach extends into the water, where the crystal clear water begs the bather to come for a swim. Perfect for swimming at high and low tides, there is good snorkeling right off the beach.

Even better snorkelling, plus excellent scuba diving, is close at hand and can be easily accessed on daytips, see the 'Things To Do' section below.

Problems

It’s nice to report that a beach destination has improved over the last couple of years, as has happened on Lipe. Here's an update, as at May 2010:

Rubbish

The rubbish problems are much reduced, except on some of the budget stretches of Sunrise beach. The wet season sees huge amounts of garbage washed up on Lipe’s beaches, and it takes a while to clear it all up at the beginning of high season, so if rubbish upsets you, you’re best to avoid Sunrise beach until mid-December.

Bar Noise

The night-time bar noise that used to stop people sleeping is now a thing of the past, provided you choose a resort away from the party scene at Pooh’s or on Bila beach– as the island has moved up-market, more expensive resorts have moved in, and their owners have told the bar-owners to tone it down a bit.

There’s still a hopping nightlife scene on the island, and party travelers can drink till they drop all high season. The difference now is that those people who want to sleep can do so.

Longtail Boat Noise

The third problem that has bedeviled Lipe over the last few years, longtail boat noise, is still a problem.

To Lipe’s boatmen it appears to represent an inch off the manhood to add a muffler to his engine, and all refuse to do so.

If you are a light sleeper, then there are only a few spots on Pattaya beach where you should stay – the Sita and Bundhaya resorts all stretch back from the beach, so visitors will be able to sleep there.

Beaches

Pattaya Beach

Pattaya Beach is Ko Lipe's premiere stretch of sand, with some very good snorkelling to be had. The beach is going rapidly up-market, with a 5-star resort about to start construction. Longtail boat noise is a problem, and in peak periods it can feel like a parking lot for longtail boats, with only a small cordoned off section of water for everyone to share for swimming.

Sunrise Beach

Compared to Pattaya Beach, Sunrise Beach has a much more low-key atmosphere, and gets far less crowded. While there is some good snorkelling around the islets, Sunrise Beach gets more than its fair share of trash and debris.

Sunset Beach

Not surprisingly, this is the place on the island for sunsets, with terrific views over the channel to nearby Ko Adang. There is only one resort here, the downmarket Porn resort.

While on Koh Samui and Phuket, over-development has seen backpackers banished to scruffy doss-houses in smelly back streets, this hasn’t happened on Lipe – there are still excellent budget options available, right on the beach. Most of the cheapest budget resorts are impossible to reliably book, so it’s necessary to just turn up, grab whatever is available, and then move to a better bungalow after a few days, once someone else has left.